


Colonystuck

by blackpurpleblack (orphan_account)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Expect blood and gore and stuff like that, F/F, F/M, Homestuck AU, M/M, Maybe some sex I don't know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 04:49:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/757229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/blackpurpleblack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a future where humanity has spread out in their own solar system only to encounter a hostile alien race. After years of interstellar war, the two factions begin to realize that they have started something that will only end in blood and death for both races. The united governments of Earth and it's surrounding colonies decide to send out 'arks' with children on board in order to ensure the continued survival of human race. Little do they realize that the other side has the same exact idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Be Hal.

You lose yourself in the cold corridors of the ship, sometimes for hours you will trace patterns with your feet round and round the ship until it is time to check up on the sleeping passengers that Space Ship Burb carries through the infinity surrounding you. Sometimes after you'll head up to the cockpit and just stare through the window out at the stars around you. Your internal atomic clock counts the milliseconds as the ship inches ever onward.

You day dream. Wonder how long you could float in space before breaking down.

Of course you have programs that teach you everything humanity has learned in it's short lifespan, yet you ran through all those programs within six months after departure from Earth. You can speak and write in every human language that exists, theorize in every major study with ease yet you cannot cure yourself of boredom. Three Earth years in space, is a very long time to be awake. 

Out of boredom, you connected consciousness with the ship's own simple onboard computer, and after the 23,833,462,648,323,979,853,562,951,413th game of chess you realized the ship was a sore loser. Not to tempt fate, you no longer actively play chess with the ship and if the ship presses you let it win. No sense in pissing off the ship's computer before reaching the intended destination, that would have disastrous consequences. 

You tinker with the minor projects that the Doctor left you. You run simulation programs nearly every other hour just to exercise your processor. Yet even after building a blank replica of yourself and updating the ship's software into Hal 1.2, you find the presence of a second android on board to be nothing short of annoying. Luckily the ship takes something you might identity as the human emotion known as excitement and curiosity towards your replica and you find that the two computers are locked in a stalemate game of chess. Silly things playing the human equivalent of a pissing match and you don't help them get free because you need the break from incessant chatter. 

Sometimes you spend time watching you're sleeping creator. Dirk, twin of Dave, had built you when he was only thirteen years old. Now nearly two years into the voyage you find yourself lingering over him when doing the routine check up on the eight passengers that the ship carries. You don't care as much for the others, perhaps only a fleeting interest over the human Dave yet that doesn't mean you pay less attention to their vitals. Everyone receives the best treatment, everyone is cared for. Yet you still find yourself scanning his face for the slightest sign of dreams, you notice how even in deep sleep that each of the passengers have indeed grown despite the inhibitor chemicals being pumped into the clear coffins. You recognize that you are nothing short of infatuated with Dirk, your creator. Yet you have stopped talking to him three months ago when he told you to 'piss off and relax'. Now you just talk to his sleeping form, speaking of random things that come to your mind. 

Even with his body asleep his mind is still as sharp as ever. Each passenger's cortex is hooked up to a computer where they can run through programs and simulations to prepare for the journeys end. Sometimes when you feel bold, you hack into the pester logs and read what everyone has said to each other. It took you a year to come up with the idea to, yet you only resort to spying only to see if each are holding up well. They do 'sleep' every other three months, in order to prevent them from going insane. No one likes being trapped in a dream.

Dave knows when you're spying into their logs, you usually have fifteen to thirty minutes before his programs kick you out of the server. You do not know what to make of Dave, so similar to Dirk yet infinitely different all the same.  
Dave, the creature of death, is restless in his sleep and despite of the chemical cocktail his limbs will twitch ever so slightly. 

You wonder how they will act towards you when they wake. There are still a few months left before you can begin initiating the wake up call and you cherish the silence. 

Two weeks before the wake up call, you find yourself standing in Dirk's quarters. Personal items are wrapped in plastic surrounding you and you trace a finger in the dust that rests on top of wrapped photo album. His room is not as busy as everyone else's, he did not spend as much time in it as the rest before departure because you know that his workroom is where he is at most home. You have access to his work room, but he had forbidden you from entering his bedroom and you now know why. It is his last sanctuary, a room where he can be himself and you wonder if you could ever have sanctuary. 

You spend three minutes and fourteen seconds in his room before locking it up again. This developing obsession was starting to interfere with your duty. A week and six days later you've begun initiated the wake up call, pumping a mixture of chemicals to stimulate the body and slowly wake up each passenger. You wake each passenger up according to who was put to sleep first. You already disengaged Hal 1.2 from his virtual battle to recruit him with waking up the passengers, after explaining to him the procedure for the 42nd time you abandon him to wake up the first passenger. 

Each passenger had been in sleep mode, as per instruction. Waking up from a dream would be easier, since each of them had already been detached from the server three months ago a motion to prevent permeant slumber.

John is the first to wake up, you stand dutifully by his side with a towel and a bottle of water. Of course as expected he vomits out the fluid that was in his stomach, and gropes for the towel. Once he is properly hydrated and awake you lead him to the showers and hand him a mixture of pills to help with the headache. He says little, too occupied with vertigo to thank you.

Rose takes the call a little better than John does, she carries a grace around her even as she's upchucking. You say the words that were scripted and she smiles at you before staggering off into the showers where John is already. 

Jane and Roxy wake up in similar fashion to Rose. Neither of them complain, even though you know it is a painful experience. Jane perhaps looks a little more affected than Roxy and you escort her to the showers just to make sure she won't pass out from shock. 

By the time Dave and Dirk are prepared for the wake up call John, Jane, Roxy and Rose are already making noise in the dining area. You use the ship's various cameras to keep an eye out on them and you see that Hal 1.2 is helping Jane make pancakes. Each woken passenger has already dressed and is drinking the various fluids you have left out for them. 

Dave is supposed to wake up before Dirk, however you know that Dirk would prefer to be awake before Dave just to help his brother to wake. You initiate the wake up call to Dirk before Dave and he wakes up ten minutes before Dave does. Dirk tries not to vomit, but he cannot battle against reflexes. You place a hand on his back after he is done, and he covers his orange eyes with his shades before turning to you. An odd genetic mutation that Dave shared, making them venerable as well as vulnerable to the harsh false light of the ship. 

"Dave?" He asks.

You nod and offer a hand, to help him to where his sibling sleeps. He of course ignores it and chooses to haltingly make his way over. You say nothing but you wait for him before initiating the wake up call to Dave.

Dave wakes up violently. You're worried that his body is having a violent reaction to the release chemicals but Dirk is there as the glass slides away.

"Shush Dave." Dirk says. He places his hands on top of Dave's shoulders as Dave contorts on his bed. Dave screams, and you see on the cameras that everyone has paused in the kitchen. 

"Dave. I am here." He says in a low tone. Dave's red eyes roll and he grimaces. You cannot offer anything but a towel and water, however Dirk is supplying what Dave really needs. Reassured, Dave calms down a bit.

"Dirk?" Dave says. Dirk smiles and brushes the hair out of his brother's eyes. 

"Yeah, fuckass. Who did you expect? Prince Charming to kiss you awake." Dirk says as he lightly punches Dave's shoulder. 

"Fuck you." He says rubbing the impact area. 

"Please, I must inform you that you both are in no shape for physical bouts, you had been inactive for three years." You interject. Two pairs of eyes stare back at you incredulously. You pretend not to catch the look Dave passes to Dirk and you just nod and point to the showers.

"What's going on in here?" John says as he enters the deep sleep chamber. He pauses once seeing Dave and Dirk, clearly not clothed and covered in the hyperbolic coffin fluid. A blush rises to his cheeks and he turns away in modesty, shielding his eyes away from the scene.

"Just some good old fashioned Strider fun," Dave says with a shit eating grin. 

"Striders, please get some clothes on before coming down to to eat." John says still blushing.

"Is Jade awake yet?" Dave asks.

"It will be approximately fourteen minutes and three seconds until both Jade Harley and Jake English are prepared for the wake up call." You respond mechanically.

Both Striders glance your way, if you weren't trained to pick up their subtle behavior you would have dismissed it as a unconscious reflex. However you know what that look means, both Dave and Dirk were worried about those still sleeping.

"Good Job, Hal." Dirk says touching your shoulder. You suddenly are aware that he has indeed grown during sleep, and you calculate that he has gained three and a fourth centimeters over you.

"Alright I'm out, there's too much free range Strider in here." John says as he exists.

"You know you like it." Dave calls to his retreating form.

"I'm not a homosexual, Dave." John replies.

Once John leaves, you notices that Dave slumps a little bit, a subtle movement caught by both you and Dirk. You say nothing but Dirk wraps an arm around Dave. Dave refuses Dirk's help, and instead slowly stands up by himself. You see how Dirk watches him, both Striders seem to be handling the after shock well but you can detect the tremor in their limbs and the sweat beading on their skin from simple exertion. 

You watch as they make their way towards the showers to clean off the three year sleep and once they are out of view you turn and make your way towards the remaining sleepers.

The one thing most peculiar about the last two to be woken is that they were not genetically enhanced in anyway. Naturally born on a small island and risen by two very eccentric, wealthy but intelligent grandparents neither Harley or English were made in a lab. Both Lalondes and Striders were designed by the deadly duo of Darek Strider and Dr. Rosalind Lalonde to flourish in the low gravity of the ship designed by Crocker Co. and Egbert Enterprises. John and Jane were made to be representatives of the two super corporations that had funded this voyage, and were grown in the same lab. John, Jane, Rose, Roxy, Dave and Dirk did not need the hardware that was attached to Harley and English's cerebellum since their own nerves and synopsis were made to easily connect to surrounding computers. They were designed to withstand this journey without fatality, Jade and Jake were not.

Which is why Jade and Jake were the last to sleep and the last to be awaken. Being natural born there was a higher risk that they could slip into a coma, and you couldn't understand why Harley and English were added to the passenger list if both did not have the extra boost of prenatal genetic enhancement. You couldn't understand why anyone would take that risk, but it was not your place to question. You had a job to do.

Jake was the first to be initiated, minor fluctuations read in your processor as he began to wake up. You felt a tingle in the back of your optic nerves as Dirk accessed your eyes to watch the process. He really was over reacting, you had performed six successful wake up calls as well as logged over 9000 hours in a simulator program. A spike of brain activity rose and you could see Jake's eyes move behind his lids as the hyperbolic fluid drained from the clear deep sleep coffin. And just like the rest, Jake sits up suddenly to take a deep breath of air before coughing out the fluid that remains inside his system.

You can see Dirk relax visibly in the dining hall as Jake places both feet on the ground. 

"Jake English," You say as you offer a towel and a bottle of water. He smiles a bright white smile at you and flips his wet hair out of his eyes. 

"Thanks old chap," He responds, "Did it feel as shitty as this when you woke."

You tilt your head in mock confusion, he has mistaken you for Dirk.

"I am sorry," You respond, "I am afraid you are mistaken, I am not Dirk Strider."

"This one of your games, Strider?" Jake says, "I thought we grew out of that phase."

"No, this is not a game." You respond. "Please, make your way to the shower. Everyone is in the dining hall."

He laughs and cuffs you on the shoulder like you had just told the best joke. You turn your attention away from his naked retreating form because Dirk is now taking screen shots. A practice you do not wish to encourage.

Jade's vitals are normal as you connect to her terminal, nothing out of the ordinary or worth worrying over. You can see Dave move next to Dirk in the dining hall and the niggling feeling at the base of your optic nerves intensifies as Dave connects as well. Compared to the rest of the passengers, Jade was of less body mass and height than the rest. Her skin had developed a pallour due to lack of natural light and her heart beat was steady. 

You initiate the wake up call and fifteen seconds in a warning goes off in your head. Lights flash red warning around you as you begin re-routing emergency power to the bay, and you cut off yourself from the ship's computer to operate on emergency battery power. Something is going wrong, Jade Harley's wakeup call is draining too much power from the ship's generators. The last view you caught from the cameras is Dave and Dirk sprinting from the dining hall to your location. 

Too late you realize that she's still attached to her server, too late do you realize that she has spent the last three years integrating herself into the ship's computer.

Too late do you realize that her consciousness is slipping away from your fingers.


	2. Pesterlog Intermission: Dave pester Dirk.

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering timaeusTestified [TT] at 06:00 --

TG: hey  
TG: hey  
TT: What?  
TG: are we not going to talk about what your fucking machine did to Jade?  
TT: Calm down, bro. There was no way that Lil Hal could know about that anomaly.  
TT: He did the best he could in the time he had.  
TG: that's a pile of fresh bull and you know it  
TG: that fuck has been creeping on us for the past three years  
TG: do you know how many programs i had to write while sleeping  
TG: just to make sure he wasnt snooping around in our craniums?  
TT: What are you trying to say, Dave?  
TT: I'm not going to shut him down.  
TG: ....  
TG: dirk.  
TG: dirk he almost killed jade.  
TG: i cant let that slide.  
TG: if rose hadnt been able to rewire her sleeper  
TG: jade would be  
TG: i dont even want to think about it  
TT: Dave, calm your classy tits down.  
TT: Everyone did the best they could at the time.  
TT: Jade knew the risks when she signed up, there always was going to be the chance she wasn't going to wake up.  
TG: can you not talk about that  
TT: Why, are you having a case of the heavy vapors?  
TG: fuck you man that isnt cool  
TT: Look, just be grateful she made it through. She's tough, she survived.  
TG: you call that survival?  
\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering timaeusTestified [TT] at 08:13--


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the help everyone, luckily was able to fix the mistakes I made. Here's Chapter Three.

Be Dave.

You don't sleep for longer than four hours every twenty four hour cycle. Somehow you cannot just lay down and spend eight or more hours unconscious. It took you three days after waking up to even slow down enough to realize that your body, indeed needed rest. You keep conversation short and to the point, only speaking a few words to your friends and family when you are caught in the hallways or coming out of the shower. 

You're not aware enough to realize that you're slowly crashing, not paying enough attention to your body to even notice the signs. John keeps you company in your quarters when you're not with Jade in the medical bay. He keeps you distracted with goofy jokes that stopped being funny far before you both were born, and sometimes he'll stay up with you playing the few personal favorite video games you were allowed to bring. He always falls asleep around three hundred hours and you always make your way to the medical bay after tucking pillow underneath his head. 

You think a lot about death whenever you're sitting next to Jade. Without any cause, your mind just slips into worry and pain, a place where you forget that you should not be dwelling in for too long. 

You died when you were six. Then again at seven, eight, nine and far to many times to count when you were twelve. It doesn't bother you as much as it used to, thinking about how many corpses you left in places you'll never see again. Places you'd like to forget, battles you've won only by making the ultimate sacrifice.Or some bullshit like that. 

Bro taught you pain, he taught you and Dirk the feeling of constant defeat through the skirmishes he'd initiate. When you were younger you thought it was all for fun, battling with Bro and Dirk. Something that only Striders did and only Striders could understand the importance of. 

When you first died it was not by accident. Six years old you stood in a room of giants in lab coats, you were old enough not to cry for Bro when they started to hook you up to a strange machine. You did not cry out in panic when you saw what lay beside you hooked up to the same machine, your heart beat increased and you began to hyperventilate. Bro had told you that it was all going to be okay, that you'd pull through with no words only a smirk and a clap on the back. But when they turned on the machine you noticed that he was not there. 

Only later in life did you realize why he left the room. Afterwards you sobbed into Dirk's shoulder, and he let you. 

The experiment that was your life was a success, you died for the first time when you were six. And that was when you realized it wasn't going to be the last. 

You are Dave, creature of death. A boy lab rat grown to never die, only to pass into a new body. A cycle of death and rebirth you cannot escape. When you turned eight, they began to plan to incorporate you into the fighting squadrons battling the enemy in space.

Fuck if you wanted to do it, you didn't sign up for it. You yelled and raged against Bro, Dirk and who ever was in ear shot how you wouldn't do it. How you had the right to decide what happened to your body. You didn't know what was more infuriating, that Dirk agreed with you or that Bro didn't speak a word to you. You were nine years old and in a year had forgot the sharp pain of death and the even more painful rebirth. Two years passed and no one argued against you, it seemed that you were going to escape that bloody fate. 

And on the eve of your tenth birthday, you had a strife with Bro. Something so routine and familiar and so utterly yours that you didn't expect the full force he exerted against you. You did not expect his blade to be that sharp or your blood to be that red. That was the last strife you ever had with Bro, and the beginning of many you would have against Dirk.

It was then you realized you had no choice, they pushed you through flight and fight simulators and you came out the perfect weapon. Within six weeks you were out in the field, battling against the alien machines and shooting down enemy ships. Dying became routine and soon you weren't aware which Dave was the original Dave, the Dave who first died when he was seven. You'd catch yourself sometimes around corridors or in your room and realize that you were both doomed. It didn't matter to the people in charge, you were their best fighter because you were so expendable, your death was a cheap commodity. 

You managed to escape every so often and pester the few friends you had when they were online. You couldn't talk to John about what was happening to you, you didn't need to speak a word to Rose to know that she knew exactly what kind of hell you were in. Jade was the only one of your friends who offered a helping hand, she had the most pull and was gradually dragging you back into life. 

When you were thirteen, Dirk came and pulled you out of that hell. You hadn't seen Dirk or Bro in two years and in turn they did not fully recognize who you had become. You didn't speak to either of them for a few weeks, just roamed around your house like a ghost taking the minor changes in. You had a strife with Dirk on the roof of the Strider compound and everything felt different. For the first time in your short life you managed to draw blood from him. You left before he could retaliate, abandoning the strife before you'd go to far and do something you'd regret.

Originally the 'alpha' set; Dirk, Roxy, Jake and Jane were going to be the only ones to take the journey. However in the last months of preparation the decision was made to include the 'beta' set. You didn't care why, you just knew you were going to be free. 

Everything you packed fit into one box, you weren't allowed much aboard the station. Just clothes and small trinkets you smuggled in. The room they gave you was larger than the small barracks they stored you in at the Prospit Space Station and you felt out of place entirely. Luckily you didn't have enough time to get used to it, they put you to sleep a few hours after you arrived. In that time you were able to briefly greet John, Jade and Rose with a smile. You stayed around to watch the lab coats put John and Rose to sleep before heading off to your own coffin. The last few moments you remember before that long stretch of sleep was composed of a quick hug from Jade and a pat on the back from Dirk. 

You dreaded going to sleep, the only place where you couldn't deny your true emotions about what you had to do. As the glass lid slid above you and the hiss of hyperbolic fluid began to fill in around you a single hand pressed against the glass. You fell asleep with the image of Bro standing above your coffin, wearing the same non expression you were ever so familiar with.

Fucking prick. 

But that was three years ago, an eternity to you. Now the only worry on your mind is whether Jade will wake up or stay stuck between the lines of code in her sleeper server. You know everyone else is worried about Jade but you can't help the feeling that is lodged in your throat. You don't want to keep track of how long it has been, and that little shit bot of Dirk's steers clear of you for good reason. The only reason that Hal has been kept alive is because Dirk can't bring himself to shut it down and you can't raise your sword against someone who wears your brother's face. 

Three weeks pass and Jade's vitals beat steady out showing no improvement. You haven't cried in a long time and you can't bring yourself to act out that cliche of the crying love interest. You just hold her hand in yours and let yourself worry. 

You almost miss it. You're tired from the argument you had with your friends a few hours ago and you almost miss it when she calls your name. The hand in your own grips yours tight and through your shades you see her eyes wide.

"Dave?" she calls. 

And suddenly your world is complete.


	4. Intermission: Roxy open 'SUPA SECKRET GIRL TALK GIRL EYES ONLY' pester log

\-- tipsyGnostalgic [TG] opened 'SUPA SECKRET GIRL TALK GIRL EYES ONLY' at 15:46--

[TG]: okay everyone whatzt up  
[TG]: lets get down to buisness omaky?  
[TT]: What are you gals chatting about?  
[TG]: OMG DIRK GET OUT OF HEAR THIS IS FOR GIRLS ONLY CANT YOU READ?????!!!!!

\--tipsyGnostalgic [TG] banned timaeusTestified [TT] from 'SUPA SECKRET GIRL TALK GIRL EYES ONLY' --

[TT]: Really, Roxy was that necessary? You know he'll try again later.  
[TG]: Rose I have had it with you and your sass young mladyissy  
[TT]: Roxy, I do I have to refresh your memory that even though you are the exact genetic copy of Mom, you are not my mother and there for have no right to act like such.  
[TG]: How do u evne have the ability to type like such a stick int the mud after wakin up?  
[TG]: liek really sis.  
[TG]: how?  
[TT]: Unlike some people, I actually kept up with the recovery supplement regime.  
[TT]: I'm going to check on Jade, you have fun with whatever this is Roxy.

\-- tentecleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG] at 16:15 --

[TG]: whateve sgirl.  
[TG]: whateeves  
[TG]: janeeyy are you hear?  
[TG]: janneeeeeeeeee  
[TG]: jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  
[TG]: NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN  
[TG]: NNNNNeeeeeeeeeee  
[GG]: You do realize we're siting right next to each other?  
[TG]: wheres your sense of fun janet  
[TG]: * janey  
[TG]: did it go out of the wind when you were sleeping  
[TG]: oh nooo jane lost her sense of humor  
[TG]: somebody fetch a doctor we've got to operate before its too late her humorous bone is gone  
[GG]: I did not lose my sense of humor, come on Roxy.  
[GG]: You're talking to the pranking master here. I eat prime cut jokes for breakfast. Down puns and pranks in one sitting.  
[TG]: O.O forgive me my princess  
[TG]: it wasn't my place to speak  
[GG]: What's up, girl? Why did you open this up?  
[TG]: dont you know  
[TG]: for girltalk mkay  
[TG]: dishin on the sweet stuff gossip talk  
[TG]: wink wonk ;D  
[TG]: so give it up girl lemme hear your secrets  
[GG]: I don't know if I have any secrets worth telling really.  
[TG]: pshaw, girl i bet you've got all kinds of secrets  
[GG]: I don't... really I don't.  
[TT]: Just so we are all informed, Jade is recovering.  
[TT]: However, she is having a hard time remaining conscious for extended periods of time.  
[GG]: I wish I could have done something to help, I'm practically useless.  
[TT]: Don't be so down on yourself, Jane. You kept everyone calm, I doubt I would have had the concentration to focus on Jade's predicament if you hadn't kept everyone else calm.  
[TG]: and hows Davy boy doing?  
[TT]: I believe now that Jade has shown significant improvement that Dave will be able to relax.  
[GG]: He's really attached to her isn't he?  
[TT]: Yes he is. I believe it is serious attraction all things considering.  
[TG]: cool kid dave's got a cool kid crush on jade  
[TG]: ahhhhaaa that rhymed.  
[TT]: Jane, will you please make sure Roxy takes her supplements, I'm starting to worry that being asleep that long has affected her mental capacities.  
[TG]: i'll show you whos got affected rental capacities.  
[TT]: ....  
[TT]:Suppliments. Take them.  
[GG]: Don't worry, Rose I'll make sure she'll take them.  
[TT]: Thank you Jane.

\-- tentecleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering tipsyGnostalgic and gutsyGumshoe [TG] at 17:55 --

[GG]: Come on Roxy.  
[TG]: boo you whore  
[GG]: Roxy!  
[TG]: sorry sorry fine fine uGH I HATE BEING SPACESICK

\-- tipsyGnostalgic closed 'SUPA SECKRET GIRL TALK GIRL EYES ONLY' at 18:12--


	5. Chapter 5

Be Dirk.

You can't stand being in space, not that you won't admit that the view is positively gorgeous, awe inspiring and blah blah the wonders of the universe. You just don't like being confined to the same rooms for extended periods of times. Which is why you guess that sleeping for the majority of the voyage had kept you from slipping into mind numbing boredom. You avoid people not by choice, even though Hal did keep the ship running while you were sleeping he hadn't been able to keep up with the minor adjustments. Which isn't really a complaint or a problem, more of a harsh critic directed at your android copy. 

So you do your rounds, back and forth across the span of the ship updating minor software and performing small maintenance checks on the systems keeping you and your peers alive. Your schedule is strict, with only a few hours out of the twenty four cycle to yourself. In the mornings you head down to the gym for an hour or two, you always liked to work up a sweat to wake up your body before breakfast. You eat breakfast alone, shower alone because it seems no one else's schedule lines up with yours. The only time you see everyone is during dinner time because Jane had insisted that everyone eat dinner together. And you can't deny her, no one can. Like some dysfunctional space family, the eight of you gather around 16:00 hours and spend some quality time together. 

Dave hasn't said much to you. Not that it bothers you that much. The last 'discussion' you two had almost ended with you strifing right then and there in the medical bay. Luckily neither of you had your swords and Jake was there to hold you back. You didn't plan to start carrying your sword around the ship until it reached its destination, but now you carry it in response to his actions. Machismo that you really don't care for but won't deny him the chance to challenge you. 

You all knew that in three months, the ship would be landing on the moon that would become your new home. Scientists had discovered a long time ago that the moon was capable of sustaining human life, the gas giant it was orbiting had a rings of fresh water ice circling it. Enough, they calculated, that Jane and John could use to kickstart the moon into developing a stable atmosphere. 

You really didn't care.

So you divide your time between making repairs, working out and tinkering in your workshop. Directly after Hal's minor failure, you shut down his body and confided him to his original program. Hal was pissed, if you could call a robot pissed, but he couldn't argue against you. He made it his mission to bug you at particular times and cause minor havoc but all you had to do was put him in sleep mode. 

Even though he was kind of a robotic asshat, Hal did impress you with the replica he had made. Lil Hal had similar programing yet there was a sophistication to the code Hal had wrote. The replica you're android had made did nothing but parrot back phrases to you. A mimic of a mimic. Something not even worth your time.

Two days after Jade woke up, you were in your workshop working on updating Sawtooth when you were interrupted by a knock.

"Sorry old chap, is this a bad time?" Jake said. From what you could tell he had just came from the gym, and had nothing on but his short shorts and a towel draped across his neck. Sometimes you wondered if he consciously knew the affect he had on you. But you wouldn't let yourself think like that. It wasn't allowed. 

"Nah man." You say as you push your welding shades down off your face. "What can I do for you, Jake?"

"I was pondering the predicament we've found ourselves in. What with my dear Jade stuck in the medic bay for quite sometime, are we going to be hampered by her absence?" He asks you. 

"Rose and I both agree that Jade should be at least seventy five percent functional by the time we reach the moon, however that twenty five percent loss is because I don't know why her wake up call went wrong." You reply. 

"Hal did register an anomaly just before the wake up call, you know that small energy spike that dimmed the lights." He nods at your words. 

You tilt your head and rub your chin thoughtfully, forgetting that your hands are stained by grease. Smooth move Dirk, smooth. 

"You got a little gunge on your chin there." He says smiling like a fool. 

"Don't you know that grease is good for stimulating beard growth?" You reply. 

"Well you shall have a marvelous beard then." He says.

"Indubitably," You say, mocking his accent. You both laugh heartily and you take the time to grab a rag and clean your face off. Yet it doesn't help, seeing that it is already is coated in sludge from various projects. Damn. Jake flashes you his goofy smile and tosses his towel at you.

"That should help, Strider." He says. "Perhaps you should join me in the showers?"

If you were a lesser man, you'd be wearing bright red blush on your cheeks . Bro's ceaseless antics taught you how not to lose your shit completely. 

"Dirk!" An out of breath Roxy exclaims as she enters your workshop. The moment she sees sweaty shirtless Jake and you with a towel in your hand she gets the wrong idea.

"Am I interrupting anything boys?" She says with a coy smile. 

"No." You chirp in with Jake. He's looking down at his feet like a puppy caught digging in the trash. 

"What's up Roxy?" You say, trying to change the subject. 

"Oh yeah. You need to get your ass down to the bay man, shits crazy." She says. 

"What's the matter?" Jake says, "Did something happen to Jade?"

"She's awake!" Roxy replies, "But Rose needs Dirk for some sciency shindig confirmation." 

"Yeah?" You remark as you close the distance between you and Jake. You place a hand on his shoulder because he looks like he's going to be so happy that he'll cry.

"Why don't you head down the way to the medic bay, Strider." Roxy says, "I'll escort Mr. Muscles here to the showers, boy you need a change of clothes."

You remove your welding shades from around your neck and nod at Roxy. You leave the workshop and notice out of the corner of your eye that Roxy's putting her arm around Jake. The girl might be a space cadet at times but she was good with people, something that you irrefutably are not.

By the time you reach the medical bay you've gotten the rest of the grease off of your limbs and face. When you enter the sterilized room you see Rose standing to one side of Jade's bedside with Dave on the other. You pretend not to notice the public display of affection Dave's got going on. Rose turns to you, with the look of serious contemplation she's got copyrighted on her face. Jade's sitting up in the bed she's been laying comatose on with a tired smile on her face.

"Dirk." She says. You nod your head in her direction and Daves before speaking, your own way of greeting your brother and half sister. You wave at Jade and she smiles, not letting go of Dave's hand.

"Give me the short hand, was your diagnosis conclusive?" You say. 

"Well, after analyzing the data you gave me on Jade's headset and after comparing hers to Jake's headset I've come to the conclusion that the equipment was only partially responsible to the wake up call's failure." She pauses and pushes a stray bang back into her headband. "There was some minor tampering to her headset causing her to skip out of the sleep mode intervals, now if this happened before launch or after launch I am not able to determine. Long story short, Jade spent three years awake in the servers without sleeping."

"Aren't there safety protocols against that, why weren't they activated?" Dave cuts in. She presses her thumb and fore fingers against the bridge of her nose and you can suddenly see Jade grow timid. Rose turns to you and holds out her tablet out to you, you take it and after a quick skim you almost lose your shit. Almost.

"Jade." You say with a stern edge in your voice. Where that came from, you weren't quite sure but to hell with it. What the data was showing was severely pissing you off.

"How the fuck did you bypass the protocol?" You ask.

"Dirk calm the fuck down, she didn't have anything to do with this." Dave says. 

"Really Dave? Really?" You reply. Before he has a chance to respond you throw the tablet onto his lap, causing him to let go of Jade's hand. Jade says nothing, but underneath that sheep facade you know there is solid steel stubborn foolishness.

"Jade, what the fuck?" Dave says as he scrolls through the report. 

"How could you be that stupid?" You add. 

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal Dave, I mean. I got bored every time you guys slept so I just went exploring that's all." Jade replies. "It's no big deal."

"You nearly integrated your consciousness fully with the ship's own, you're very lucky that we were able to separate you. Your actions are the cause to your bedlam." Rose says in a tone that sends shivers down your spine. Yet Jade remains nonplussed. How she does it you don't know, you could never keep cool with Rose Lalonde gunning for your ass. 

Silence plays a heavy hand and can almost taste the tension in the air. Rose has her arms crossed over her chest and the look Jade wears tells you that she doesn't know how close she was to being lost. 

"Jade, you know that there was the risk that you wouldn't wake up even without this. Why didn't you alert any of us?" Dave says quietly.

"I tried, Dave. I really did, every time you guys cycled awake again I wanted to tell you but I just didn't." Jade says. She's wringing her hands and through her glasses you can see her eyes beginning to shine. Your brother doesn't notice, he's too steeped in the realization of how close of a call it really had been.

"What could you have done to help anyway? We all were still asleep." She says. 

"Anything, dammit! Jade!" He exclaims. You can feel where this is going and you know it won't be good.

"Dirk, will you correlate the data with Hal? I would like to analysis the data he has on the anomaly. Take Dave with you, I would like to talk to Jade alone as well as run a cleaner program on her headset." Rose says. Your orange eyes flick towards her through your shades and you nod.

You walk over to Dave and take the tablet from his hands. He is unresponsive, and you tug his sleeve to get a response. He slaps your hand away and stands up, out of the corner of your eye you see Jade flinch. 

"Dave." You say. His hands are trembling, not in fear but in anger and you already know what direction this is heading. He's going full steam crazy train heading towards the town full of innocent folk, ten tons of trinitrotoluene hair triggered ready to explode at any minute. He catches the warning in your voice and the moment he turns his face up to look at you, you know now you're the target. 

The moment you turn to leave Jake enters the medical bay, fully clothed. You and Dave push past him before he can even greet you two in his quirky manner. You figure that Rose isn't going to kick him out, Jade is all the family he has left. Not that isn't common around here, you all are alone with the remains of your family here in space. 

You know he's waiting until you're both out of ear shot of the medical bay before he'll make a move. Your hands are relaxed and you don't even think about even bringing your hand to your sword handle yet. You can feel his eyes bore holes into your back and you count thirty six steps. You let your right foot fall behind you as he slams his body weight into you, intending to knock you off balance but you're fucking concrete. His hands wrap around yours and he tries to pin your arms behind your back. Again you've anticipate this, before he can even get a good pin on you, you bring your right knee to the floor and use your momentum you flip him over your body. 

Your up on your feet before he even has time to register that he's ass first on the floor. You push your shades back up your nose with your middle finger and he grimaces. You're allowing yourself to antagonize Dave, something that you try not to do but it's just to easy to make him lose his shit. His hand goes to his sword, and you smirk at him. That sets him off even more then you intended. He unsheathes his sword as he kicks himself off the floor and you dodge his first advance as well as his follow up advance lunge. 

You spend the next few minutes with your hands behind your back dodging his advances, each of you giving and gaining ground. You swear you haven't felt this exhilarated since your last strife, and even though a part of you recognizes that Dave is gaining skill he still can't lay a finger on you as long as you keep up flash stepping. 

"Fucking fight me!" He screams. You can see the sweat on his skin and feel the rage in his voice. You smile wide, keeping your chin slightly elevated to goad him. Surprisingly no one has interrupted you despite the explosive swears he's launching at you. You're gradually getting tired of dodging his attacks. Instead of slowing him down, he seems to be gaining speed. 

He lunges forward one more time and you wait until the last second to dodge his blade. You wait until his's arm is extended past your face before making your move. In one swift action you knock his blade out of his hand and pin him against the wall of the corridor. You've got both of his hands pressed against the wall and you've forced your right foot in between his legs. 

For a moment you just breathe, calm. He stares back at you and your sure if you'd take off his shades, his red eyes would be lit with rage. He can't break loose from your grip to reach his sword on the floor and you just let him struggle. Your actions are rehearsed and you feel empty as you watch your brother struggle against you through your shades. There's nothing that you could say to get him to calm down. You smile an empty smile and press your forehead against his own. Dave freezes and you let him go before you decide otherwise. 

You're retreating fast to your workshop before he can even pick up his sword.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't let this chapter sit on my computer without putting it up, still working on the pester logs. I realize that it should be easy to format it but I'm like 200 years old when it comes to computers. Thanks for reading.


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